Princess Anne concludes three-day royal visit to British Columbia

Even though he was about to embark on an 18-month sailing trip, Bill Norrie dressed in a two-piece suit on Sunday.

Norrie, standing at attention on his sailboat docked at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club with his wife Cathy, hoped that Princess Anne, who was visiting to present the awards at the Spring Dinghies Regatta on Sunday afternoon, would give him the honor of saying goodbye to him.

Norrie would get his wish.

After touring the Canadian Navy training ship Osprey, Princess Anne and her entourage stopped to chat briefly with the couple.

Upon hearing of Norrie’s plans to travel to New Zealand, the princess joked: “You look too put together for that.”

Sir Tim Laurence, Princess Anne’s husband, untied the boat from the dock and the princess herself pushed the 28-foot-long Pixie out before returning to land to present the race prizes.

Club vice-commodore Dale Gann said Princess Anne showed interest in the club’s youth sailing program and was familiar with local sailing conditions.

“She was very in tune with the weather and the difficulties that were on the water today for some of the young sailors,” Gann said. “It’s very nice to walk and talk with her about youth.”

Adair Nadeau, who gave the princess some flowers while at the dock, was delighted by the royal visit.

“I’ve never seen a real-life princess,” the 12-year-old said with a smile on her face.

Earlier in the day, Princess Anne honored her late mother and saluted Canadian veterans and current members of the Armed Forces during separate ceremonies in Victoria.

In the morning at Government House, Princess Anne planted a red-flowered currant bush and unveiled a plaque in honor of her late mother, Queen Elizabeth.

“We had the pleasure of taking a walk through the gardens with the Princess Royal,” said Patty Grant, president of the Friends of Government House Gardens. “She was lovely. She is very nice and showed interest in each and every volunteer.”

Princess Anne was especially captivated by the wooded nature of the grounds, said Valerie Murray, horticulture adviser at Government House.

“She was more interested in the forests. The beds look fantastic right now and we were able to talk about the unique ecosystem of the Garry Oak,” which the princess took photographs of, Murray said.

Murray said the princess was shown a new coronation road developed to honor her brother the King, including its design to “make it more accessible to the public and protect the ecosystem”.

The princess also laid a wreath during a ceremony at the cenotaph of the British Columbia legislature to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic, the largest and longest battle of World War II, during which Canada lost 24 warships and more than 4,300 Canadian forces and merchant marines.

About 600 people attended the Battle of the Atlantic ceremony, British Columbia legislature security staff estimated.

Princess Anne’s royal visit began Friday in North Vancouver, where she participated in the commissioning of HMCS Max Bernays, the first Arctic patrol vessel for the Canadian Pacific Fleet.

The Princess, Honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, sailed aboard HMCS Max Bernays to Esquimalt. She then visited God’s Acre Veterans Cemetery and a sustainable food urban agriculture project.

Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, said having the princess attend the Battle of the Atlantic ceremony and sail aboard a patrol vessel was an honor for Canada’s navy.

“It makes it very special for the sailors of the Canadian Pacific Fleet,” he said. “She is the honorary commodore-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, and for her to have the opportunity to go out and meet the sailors, sail aboard HMCS Max Bernays and be here to commission (the ship) is a great moment. for us. “She cares deeply about her royal duties and about the sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy.”

HMCS Max Bernays is the first new ship commissioned on the West Coast for Arctic and offshore patrols based in Victoria, Topshee said.

“It’s a great new capability for Canada and ensures that we can secure our sovereignty in the Arctic,” he said.

Princess Anne’s final visit of the day was to the Victorian Therapeutic Riding Association in downtown Saanich.

Leaving behind a pavilion that had been reserved for her visit, the princess watched the horsemanship demonstrations from the side of the door.

While there, Princess Anne, an accomplished equestrian who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, met several horses and chatted with members of the riding association.

The princess began her journey back to London on Sunday night.

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